Mo hands each of us a spoon and puts the carton of ice cream in the middle of the table in my parents’ kitchen. “You passed your boards, and you and Linc are officially a couple. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” I say, scooping out a small bite. “It’s crazy how love works, isn’t it? You have no idea it’s coming, and then bam!”

Mo nods. “Love is crazy.”

“Definitely crazy,” Claire agrees.

“And sexy.” Mo waggles her eyebrows.

“And don’t forget hot,” Claire adds.

I shove another bite of ice cream in my mouth and frown. “Really?” I mumble. “Because I was thinking it’s stupid. Look at the stupid shit Lincoln and I put each other through to get where we are. If my life were a book, it would be called Crazy, Stupid Love.”

“What would your book be called, Tess?”

Tess stares at her glass of wine as if it holds all of life’s answers. “I don’t think I’m getting a book.”

We all answer in unison.

“What?”

“Yes, you are.”

“You’re absolutely getting a book.”

Smiling, she shakes her head. “It probably won’t be sexy or hot—”

“And you sure as hell don’t want it to be stupid.” I shovel another bite of ice cream in my mouth, completely unashamed because I’m eating for two, which means double everything.

“Maybe it’ll be beautiful,” Mo suggests, watching Tess carefully. “Because if anyone deserves a crazy, beautiful love, it’s you.”

“You think?” she asks.

I place a hand on her knee. “We know.”

“There you guys are.” We all turn to see Chloe walk through the patio door with Abby by her side. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Really?” Abby scowls. “You’re having an ice cream party without us?”

“We’re sorry.” Mo grabs two more spoons and holds them out.”

“You’re forgiven,” Abby says, going in for the kill.

“What were you girls talking about when we walked in?” Chloe asks.

“Love,” I croon.

“Ugh.” Abby turns her nose up. “Count me out.”

“No, this is fun,” Mo promises. “We were just talking about what our love story would be called. I’m Crazy, Sexy Love, because, well, Rhett and I have a super sexy love.”

I shake my head and take another bite. “TMI.”

“And Trevor and I would be Crazy, Hot Love because he’s super hot and…” She looks around, and I decide to help her out.

“And because he’s a firefighter. Fire is hot.”

“Yes!” She holds up a hand, and I slap it. “This is why I like you.”

“What about yours?” Chloe asks. “What are you and Linc?”

“Oh, we’re definitely stupid because we actually thought we could keep things casual and not fall in love. So, we’re Crazy, Stupid Love.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll play along.” Abby thinks about it for a second and then says, “Crazy, Perfect Love.”

“Why perfect?” Mo asks. “Love is rarely perfect.”

“Because Abby is OCD,” I answer. “If it isn’t perfect, she won’t have any part of it.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Abby says. “You’re not perfect, and I love you.”

“Hey,” I scoff. “I resent that.”

We all laugh, and then I clear my throat. “Abby, yours is probably going to be Crazy, Imperfect Love. Because I think you need an imperfectly perfect man to come along and mess up your perfectly imperfect life.”

“That’s too many perfects and imperfects for me,” Chloe says.

“What would your book be, Chloe?” Tess asks.

“I don’t need a book. I’ve already fallen in love,” she says.

My eyes widen and scoot a little closer. “It’s Deacon, isn’t it?”

Her eyes light up at the mention of his name, and she nods.

Claire scrunches her brow. “Who is Deacon?”

“Lincoln’s friend.” I shift back to Chloe. “You’re going to tell Lincoln, right? Because take it from me, you don’t want to keep it a secret.”

Claire taps the stem of her spoon against mine. “She’s right. Love is too precious to keep hidden.”

“We’re going to tell him when the time is right.”

“The time is never right. Give me a heads up of when you’re going to do it, and I’ll make sure he’s nice and buttered up first,” I say, wagging my eyebrows.

“Oh jeez.” Chloe dips her spoon back into the ice cream, which is almost gone.

“What the hell are you girls doing inside?”

“Hey, baby.” I turn to Lincoln and wrap an arm around him. “We’re eating ice cream. Want some?”

“No. Your brothers are outside grilling steak. You’re going to ruin your appetite.”

“Meh.” Claire shrugs. “Steak is overrated. Ice cream is happiness.”

“This ice cream is empty.” Lincoln grabs the now-empty tub from the counter and tosses it in the trash. We all groan at him.

“There’s more where that came from, you know,” Claire taunts.

Lincoln lifts a brow. “Trevor just took his shirt off. He’s getting ready to jump in the pool.”

“See ya, girls.”

Claire hightails it out of the kitchen, and Tess is close behind her.

“Where are you going?” I holler.

“To ogle Trevor,” Tess says, tossing up a hand. “And if I’m lucky, the rest of your brothers will take their shirts off too.”

“Is Rhett in the pool?” Mo asks Lincoln.

“Sorry, he’s manning the grill.”

“Oh shit.” She scoots her chair back and stands up. “I better go check on him. He thinks he’s the griller in the family, but trust me, he’s not.”

“Wanna swim until our food is ready?” Chloe asks.

Abby shrugs. “Why not?”

When they disappear, I’m left with Lincoln.

“We’re finally alone,” I say, sliding my hands up his chest.

“Oh, no you don’t.” He captures my wrists and pins them behind my back.

“If you wanted to restrain me, all you had to do was ask.”

His cock grows thick between us, and I wiggle just enough to get a better feel. Lincoln groans.

“You little minx. Maybe tonight.”

“How about right now?” I coax.

“Trust me, baby. I would love to tie you up, bend you over this counter, rip these pants off, and pound into you from behind.”

I squeeze my thighs together.

“But,” he says, ruining my dreams. “My dad is out there, and I really don’t want to leave him alone for too long. This is the first time he’s meeting your family, and you just never know what’s going to come out of the man’s mouth.”

“You’re right. He’s seems to be doing good, though. Is he enjoying himself?”

“Probably a little too much.”

I’m so proud of how far Lincoln, Chloe, and Christopher have come. Christopher has been sober for thirteen weeks now. I know every single day is struggle for him, but I couldn’t be prouder. His budding relationship with his kids keeps him going.

As for Lincoln and Chloe, they’ll never forget their childhood, but they’re learning to forgive, and slowly, they’ve opened themselves up, allowing their dad back into their lives the way a real father should be.

It’s been beautiful to witness, and I honestly can’t wait to see Christopher’s reaction to the baby. I sure hope he’ll see the baby as a chance to redeem himself and start over.

“Then let’s get out there,” I tell Lincoln.